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Loremo LS - The 157 MPG Car

The Worlds Greatest Fuel Miser?

Imagine, for a moment, being able to drive from Munich, Germany to Rome, Italy on just one tank of fuel. Thats almost 800 miles of beautiful European landscapes between refills, a bladder-busting range thats unchallenged by many passenger cars - including Volkswagens excellent TDI turbodiesel or any hybrid vehicles - currently on the market. Now, to keep the gears in your imagination turning, imagine that the size of the tank was a mere 5.3 gallons, a size less than half of what you might find in a regular subcompact car. Would you call it amazing? Too good to be true, perhaps? This is the kind of fuel consumption performance which can be expected from the Loremo LS, the worlds only 157 mpg car.

Outright, the Loremo

Could this be the worlds most economical four-seater? (Photo: Loremo AG)

LS looks like a car that can achieve 157 mpg. Its body is teardrop-shaped, and has a super-low drag coefficient rating of just 0.20 Cd, which is a dramatic improvement over the average drag rating of 0.30 Cd. The body also happens to be made of a lightweight thermoplastic thats resistant to scrapes and scratches. Interestingly, if you look along its sides the car doesnt appear to have any doors; this is because theyre mounted at the front and back end of the car. The driver and front seat passenger crawl in through the nose of the car; the hood and windscreen unit are hinged at the

Body is impregnated with paint film: no toxic waste, no scratches, no paint chips. Cool. (Photo: Loremo AG)

front, similar in context at least to the classic 53 through 64 BMW-ISO Isetta, and likewise open up to provide easy step-in access. This brings us to the next intriguing thing about the Loremo LS, its interior.

Almost every car thats purchased today has four seats, if not more. The Loremo is no exception, but, when looking at its swooping profile, how could its designers fit four full-size adults inside with such a raked C-pillar and rear window? Easy: the rear seats are rear-facing, providing those in back with plenty of legroom, headroom and an excellent, if not different view out. The rear seats are accessed through the cars tailgate, which swings up to a near

Basic interior is trimmed in Alcantara. Dashboard computer is optional. (Photo: Loremo AG)

vertical position.

Inside, the furnishings are simple, yet tasteful; the contoured buckets are trimmed in plush Alcantara, while the dash, console and side trim are made of woven fabric and two-ply plastic. The LS doesnt skimp out on equipment either; it features dual airbags, a particulate filter for its engine, and a simple stereo system. For those used to a little more pampering, options such as an onboard computer, navigation, and air conditioning are available.

Unlike most economy cars, the Loremo has its engine mounted midship, driving the rear wheels. Performance enthusiasts should be happy to know that it has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution, so it should be relatively neutral in the bends. And although its custom made 105/70 R 14 tires would be more at home on a Penny Farthing,

Mid-engine, rear wheel drive should make the Loremo LS an interesting drive... (Photo: Loremo AG)

it has a unique active-camber suspension to improve road contact with what little width there is to the tread. Interestingly, the suspension also adjusts its camber depending on the load and weight of the car. In town, the LS should be a breeze to drive, thanks to its short wheelbase and light curb weight.
To help achieve maximum fuel consumption, the LS is powered by a tiny two-cylinder light pressure turbo diesel engine of undisclosed size, which makes 20-horsepower. For the record, thats about twice the output as the engine in Hondas most powerful non-commercial snow blower. Nevertheless, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, the diesel powerplant is more than enough to propel the LS to city and highway speeds, as the whole car weighs just 992 lbs. It accelerates to 60 mph from standstill in a leisurely 18 to 19 seconds (about the same as a smart fortwo cdi), but has a top speed of 100 mph which is more

With the Loremo, Shotgun wont be the most popular seat. At least, not with kids. (Photo: Loremo AG)

than fast enough for everyday use. After all, its worth remembering that at the end of the day, Loremos claim to fame is that the car is capable of a penny-pinching 157 mpg.

For those who are in a bit more of a hurry to get where theyre going, Loremo intends to introduce a more powerful version of the car called the GT. It will feature a 50-horsepower three-cylinder turbodiesel that will be able to halve the 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of the LS, and boost top speed to 137 mph. The GT consumes twice as much fuel, but relatively speaking, thats still a miniscule amount at just 88 mpg.

In many ways, the Loremo is more than a concept; its a fully operational prototype thats headed to production.  Loremo expects the car to be on the streets of Europe by 2009, with prices starting from under E11,000 ($13,250) for the LS, and under E15,000 ($18,000) for the GT, giving hybrids and conventional economy cars a good run for their money.  To find out if Loremo has plans to sell its LS in your area, check out www.loremo.com.

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